LONDON (CelebrityAccess) – Fremantle announced Thursday (January 18) the appointment of Andrew Llinares as the new Director of Global Entertainment.
Based in London and reporting to CEO Jennifer Mullin, Llinares will oversee Fremantle’s global entertainment production, development, and acquisition teams, effective immediately. He takes over from Rob Clark, who will retire after 20 years at the end of February. Llinares will also join Fremantle’s global leadership team.
Llinares, incoming Director of Global Entertainment, Fremantle added: “I am so excited to be taking on this role at Fremantle, it feels like coming home to me. Not only am I returning to the UK, but I am also coming back to a company that has felt like home for a long, long time. I am honored to be taking over from Rob Clark; someone I have loved working with and greatly admire. I cannot wait to get started and work with Jen and the brilliant team at Fremantle.”
Llinares was previously head of Thames/Syco co-productions in the UK and was the original head of The X Factor and Britain’s Got Talent when they first launched in the UK in 2004 and 2007. Since 2011, while living in the United States, he was a showrunner for the US version of The X Factor before joining Dancing With the Stars in 2018.
Mullin, Group CEO, Fremantle: “I am thrilled that Andrew has agreed to take on this hugely important role within Fremantle. Our Global Entertainment business has been and always will be, crucial to our success. Andrew is a seasoned producer and a creative executive that has been within our family for many years; he knows our business, our formats, and most importantly our people. Rob Clark has been instrumental in designing our Global Entertainment division and I believe Andrew is well poised to build on that, ensuring that creative and production excellence remain at the heart of our company.”
Fremantle’s network of, entertainment, entertainment labels, and investments includes Eureka (Holey Moley, The Real Love Boat), Label 1 (Five Dates a Week, Hospital), Thames (Britain’s Got Talent, I Can See Your Voice, Eating With My Ex), Talkback (Too Hot To Handle, Never Mind the Buzzcocks, QI), Naked Entertainment (Grand Designs, The Rap Game, The Apprentice) Man Alive Entertainment (Dolly Parton: Here I Am), Full Fat TV (Shipmates).
